Bowling pin distributor mechanism



' Oct. 3, 1961 K. DOMBROWSKI BOWLING PIN DISTRIBUTOR MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 15, 1960 q kill (I 1 4 k Oct. 3, 1961 1 K. DOMBROWSKI 3,002,754

sowmuc PIN DISTRIBUTOR MECHANISM Filed Aug. 15, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 3, 1961 K. DOMBROWSKI BOWLING PIN DISTRIBUTOR MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 15, 1960 United States Patent 3,002,754 BOWLING PIN DISTRIBUTOR MECHANISM Kurt Dombrowski, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, as-

signor to Philips Electronics Industries Ltd., Leaside, Ontario, Canada Filed Aug. 15, 1960, Ser. No. 49,663 Claims priority, application Canada May 3, 1960 9 Claims. (Cl. 273-43) My invention relates to an automatic pinsetting and bowling ball return device for use in bowling alleys and is particularly directed to a mechanism operative to supply pins to a so-called pinspotting plate or table having a plurality of pockets adapted to receive pins when in an elevated position and deposit the pins on the alley when the table is located adjacent the alley floor.

In the operation of an automatic pinsetter, the balls and pins in the pit at the rear of the alley are elevated to positions whereat the balls may be returned to the players end of the alley and the pins conveyed to points Wherefrom they may be moved to the pin pockets located on the spotter table. The balls and pins may be separated by appropriate means either before or after they are elevated.

In prior pinsetting machines, varied means of distributing the pins to the spotter table pockets have been employed. One method is to provide a plurality of chutes communicating between a common feed-point and each individual cup respectively. In this instance means must be employed to ensure that a pin is provided each chute from a common source or magazine. Such a system is shown, for instance, in United States Patent 2,714,508,

issued August 2, 1955.

In another type of known machine pins are delivered in single file to a rotatable pin magazine or distributor having a number of pin-receiving pockets located about itsperiphery and which in sequence communicate with the single file source of pins to receive a pin therefrom.

When each of the pockets contain a pin, the distributor rotation is stopped with the pockets normally being located above pin funnels communicating with pin-receiving pockets of the spotter table. The pins are simultaneously dropped into the spotter table pockets and are then ready for delivery to the pin-receiving surface of the alley deck. Such a system is shown in United States Patents 2,692,129 issued October 19, 1954, and 1,122,622 issued December 29, 1914.

My invention relates to the latter type of machine and more particularly to means for moving the pins from the rotatable distributor to the spotter table. In prior machines the pins have been delivered in or arrive in upright position in the pockets. I have found it preferable to deliver the pins in inverted position to the distributor and thereafter return them to the upright position during their delivery to; the pockets of the pinspotter table.

In effecting this reinversion, the pins are caused to fall outward from the distributor pockets and travel base first, in chutes provided therefor, or to fall directly into the appropriate spotter table pockets.

For a clearer understanding of my invention, reference will now be made to the figures of the drawing in which:

FIGURE lis an elevation view of a pinsetting machine showing the mechanism with which my invention is concerned;

FIGURE 2 is a plan View of the mechanism shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 3 and 4 show detailed views of the mechanism for reinverting and initiating the removal of the pins from the distributor to the spotter table pockets.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is shown a portion of the pin end of a bowling alley with the automatic pinsetting machine located in an appropriate posi- 3,002,754 Patented Oct. 3, 1961 tion over the pin-receiving portion of the deck 1. A pit, generally designated 2, is located at the rear end of the alley. A number of pins 3 are shown in ditferent locations and will be referred to later, with respect to the operation of the invention. The pins illustrated in the drawing are of the type utilizing a rubber band 4 encircling their maximum grith. It is to be noted that the use of pins having encircling bands is not necessary in the operation of the mechanism accordingto my invention but such pins are admirably suited thereto.

The automatic pinsetting mechanism comprises two main frame members 6 each supported at one end on the alley kickbacks 7 and at the other end on tubular posts 6 by means of cross-members 9, 10 and 11, shown clearly in FIGURE 2, which are secured to the frame members 6. Secured to cross-members 9 and 10 is a triangular platform 15 one side thereof being constituted by the cross-member 10. Supported on platform 15 are a number of pin-receiving funnels 14 and where necessary, chutes 12 which communicate between pockets 16 of a rotatable distributor 17 mounted for rotation about a vertical shaft 25 and the pin-receiving pockets 13 of a spotted table 18 (FIGURE 1).

Spotter table 18 is mounted for Vertical movement on two pairs of parallel arms 19 only one pair of which is shown in FIGURE 1. The spotter table is movable from its pin-receiving position shown in FIGURE 1 to a .position adjacent the alley deck whereat a new set of pins may be spotted and a position intermediate these two positions whereat pin clamping pads 20 contact the heads of pins standing on the alley deck and pin pickup arms 21 are actuated to grasp the neck of the pin clamped by the associated pad to raise the pin so that the alley deck may be swept clear of deadwood by a mechanical sweep system 22 having a sweeping head 23. Since the sweep system forms no part of the present invention, no further reference will be made to it.

In the pit 2 at the rear of the bowling alley deck 1, there is located a rearwardly inclined horizontal conveyor 26 which is operable to carry balls and pins, located thereon, to, a vertical lift elevator comprising a. system of laterally spaced pairs of parallel bars 28 spaced so as to carry on and therebetween bowling balls or pins as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. The vertical elevator is effective to lift balls and pins from the pit conveyor and to drop them on an elevated horizontally travelling conveyor comprised of parallel belt runs 29, 29. For a more detailed description of the vertical ball and pin elevator and horizontal conveyor, reference should be made to copending Canadian patent application Serial No. 746,820, -filed March '6, 1958, entitled Automatic Pinsetters.

Parallel belt conveyor 29, 29 communicates with a ball separation mechanism comprising a gate 30 which is normally a stationary continuance of one of the runs 29. The operation of the ball separation mechanism is described in Canadian Patent 591,792. Briefly, the opening of gate 30 is actuated by a ball tripped mechanism and the ball is allowed to fall between runs 29, 29 to a ball-receiving funnel 32 located below. Funnel 32 feeds the balls to a ball return conveyor 50, 50. The pins remain on conveyor 29, 29 and are rolled around a friction wheel 33 cooperating with a stationary conveyor run 31 to a gravity type conveyor comprising parallel runs 34, 34 which have rollers 40 (see FIGURE 3) protruding above the runs to facilitate the gravitational conveyance of the bowling pins 3 to the pin-receiving pockets 16 of rotatable distributor 17.

The distributor mechanism, shown in detail in FIG- .URES 3 and 4, will now be described with reference to the indexing of the distributor and pin discharge therefrom. The distributor 17 comprises a top plate member 24 having a plurality of pin-receiving pockets of indentations 16 located about its periphery. The pockets 16 support pins 3 in inverted position as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3. The pins 3 are supported in this instance by virtue of their encircling rubber band 4. It will be realized that the pins may be supported by the enlarged portion of the body of the pin itself'when the invention is used in conjunction with bowling pins not provided with an encircling rubber band' As shown in FIGURE 3, the presence of one pin in the pocket 16 aligned with conveyor 34, 34 prevents the next pin on the conveyor from moving forward. In fact, it is a particular advantage of the invention to allow for the accumulation of a number of pins, for instance a complete set, on the conveyor 34, 34. This allows for rapid filling of the distributor pockets for a pin reset and obviates the necessity of waiting for fallen pins to be swept into the pit and elevated to the conveyor 34, 34.

For the five pin game, distributor plate member 24 is provided with six pin-receiving pockets 16. This number, of course, may be varied. A dividing member 39 is located between pockets as shown and prevents undue swinging of pins during the rotational indexing of distributor 17. The indexing of the distributor is accomplished by means of an electrical switch 41 having an actuating arm 42, see FIGURE 3, which is moved to close the switch when a pin is advanced from conveyor 34, 34 to the distributor plate pocket 16 aligned with the conveyor at that moment. Closing of switch 41 is effective to close an electric circuit which energizes a drive system to index the distributor so that an adjacent pocket 16 is aligned with conveyor 34, 34- and the next pin, referred to above, enters that pocket. For convenience of explanation, the distributor 17 is indicated as being rotatable in the clockwise direction as indicated in FIG- URE 2. When the distributor 17 has been indexed around so that pocket 16 adjacent chute 12 contains a pin, a further switch 47 with its actuating arm 48, connected in series circuit with switch 41, is opened and the arrival of a pin in the pocket 16 adjacent conveyor 34, 34 can no longer actuate the indexing mechanism.

A circular ring or rail member 38 symmetrically surrounds the distributor shaft 25 and is supported on posts 38a as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. The ring 38 is broken or open, adjacent conveyor 34, 34 to allow the bowling pins 3 to pass unimpeded from the conveyor into the pockets 16 of distributor 17. As the bowling pin is rotated about shaft 25, the heads of the pins, held in pockets 16, are moved towards the shaft '25 by contact with the rail 38. This causes the pins in all pockets 16, except the one positioned in communication with conveyor 34, 34 to tilt upward and outward from shaft 25. To discharge the pins to the funnels 14 and pin-spotter plate pockets 13, a centrally apertured and segmented plate 35, journalled on shaft 25 and having an upper concave surface discontinuous adjacent conveyor 34, 34 is moved upward by a pivoted lever 36 actuated by arm 37 and the crank 46 driven by motor 45. The heads of pins 3 in pockets 16 of distributor 17, with the exception of the pin adjacent conveyor 34, 34, slide inward on plate towards the shaft 25 and the pins, upon further upward movement of plate 35, fall base first outward into chutes 12 cooperating with funnels 14 or directly into the funnels as the case may be. Because of the position of funnels 14 14 and 14 located some distance outwardly from the distributor 17, chutes 12 are necessary. Operation of plate 35 may be actuated simultaneously and in conjunction with the pin spotting action of the machine. This may be effected by means of a switch located at the players end of the alley. The use of :chutes 12 allows for a completely symmetrical distributor pocket arrangement. With the removal of the pin from pocket 16 adjacent chute 12a switch 48 closes and indexing of distributor 17 resumes and continues until the pocket adjacent chute 12 again contains a pin.

It will, of course, be obvious that rail 38 could be replaced by use of a more concave plate 35 which upon being moved upwardly would cause the tilting inward of the pin heads and their subsequent discharge base first to funnels 14 thus obviating the use of device 38. The use of a distributor accommodating inverted bowling pins allows for much simpler handling of the pins and reduces the overall complexity of the machine. Other obvious modifications, which do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention, will occur to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. In a bowling pin handling mechanism, a pin spotting table including a plurality of pin-receiving pockets and operable at least between an elevated pin-receiving position and a pin discharge position, an indexed rotatable pin distributor mechanism located above said table, a plurality of pin-receiving pockets located about the periphery of said distributor, a single-file source of inverted pins communicating in sequence with each of said distributor pockew during the period between indexed rotational movements of said distributor to supply a single inverted pin thereto, lifting means located below each distributor pocket, means moving said lifting means upward to contact the heads of the inverted pins supported in said pockets to simultaneously raise said pins free of said pocket and bias them to fall base-first outward and into the pockets of said spotting table.

2. In a bowling pin handling mechanism, a pin distributor mounted for indexed rotation in a substantially horizontal plane, a plurality of pin-receiving pockets located in the periphery of said distributor, each of said pockets being proportioned to support a pin therein in inverted position, a source operable to supply inverted pins sequentially to said pockets, and lifting means, incorporated with said distributor, upwardly movable to contact the heads of pins supported in said pockets to raise them free thereof and simultaneously tilt said lifted pins to fall base-first outwardly from said distributor.

3.xIn a bowling pin handling mechanism, an indexable pin distributor mounted for rotation in a substantially horizontal plane, a plurality of pin-receiving pockets located in the periphery of said distributor and proportioned to hold pins therein in inverted position, means for indexing said distributor to sequentially stop said distributor with successive pockets aligned with and to receive a pin from a single-file source of invertedpins, a pin spotting table located below said distributor, and having a plurality of pin-receiving pockets, lifting means located below the pockets of said distributor, and means to raise said lifting means to contact the heads of pins held in said last-mentioned pockets to move the pins upward and outwards from said pockets to fall base-first into said receiving pockets of said pin spotting table.

4. The mechanism as claimed in claim 3 wherein the said lifting means is eifective in operation to move the heads of said inverted pins inward and upward to initiate the base-first fall out of a pin from the pocket occupied thereby.

5. The mechanism as claimed in claim 3 wherein said last-named means is located below the distributor pockets and symmetrically surrounds the axis of rotation of the distributor and has an upper surface, at the point of pin head contact, which slopes downward and inward towards the axis of rotation of the distributor and which when moved upward against the heads of the inverted pins produces upward and inward movement of said heads towards said axis.

6. A bowling pin handling, assembling and'distributing mechanism comprising an indexable distributor rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, a plurality of pinreceiving pockets located in a generally circular configuration about the periphery of said distributor and proportioned to support inverted bowling pins by contact with the maximum girth portion of the body of said pin, a single-file source of inverted pins communicating sequentially with said pockets to supply a pin thereto between periods of indexed rotation, means responsive to the presence of a pin in a pocket communicating with said source to efiect indexing of the distributor, means constraining the outward movement of the heads of the pins supported in said pockets and lifting means, in corporated with said distributor, upwardly movable to contact the heads of pins supported in said pockets to raise them free thereof and simultaneously tilt said lifted pins to fall base-first outward from said distributor.

7. The mechanism as claimed in claim 6 wherein said last two mentioned means are combined to form an upwardly concave plate member concentric with said axis and secured thereto to permit relative axial movement. 8. In a bowling pin handling mechanism, a conveyor for conveying and discharging inverted bowling pins in a single file, an indexable rotatable distributor provided with a plurality of pin pockets in the periphery thereof, said pockets having a pin-receiving opening facing radially outward and communicating sequentially with the discharge end of said conveyor to receive a single inverted pin therefrom, means indexing said distributor to provide a pin in each of a predetermined number of said pockets, means constraining the heads of said pins in said pockets against movement outward from the axis of rotation of said distributor and lifting means, incorporated with said distributor, upwardly movable to contact the heads of pins supported in said pockets to raise them free thereof and simultaneously tilt said lifted pins to fall base-first outward from said distributor.

9. The mechanism as claimed in claim 8 wherein said last two mentioned means are combined to form an upwardly concave plate member symmetrically surrounding said axis and movable in a vertical direction upward to contact the heads of the inverted pins in said predetermined number of pockets.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,941,804 Huck June 21, 1960 

